Poate că faimosul predicator din această postare pe blog ar putea fi Isus. Te -ai întrebat vreodată, cum ar fi Isus în vremea noastră?
A famous preacher comes to the church
Imagina, you hear that a famous preacher is coming to your church. You’ve heard and read a lot about this famous preacher, and about all the signs and wonders that follow him.
You’re so excited, că te hotărăști să aranjezi o cină. Nu numai că îl inviți pe acest faimos predicator, dar si pastorul, câţiva bătrâni, și alți membri ai bisericii.
You have made all the necessary dinner preparations and are all set! Then it’s time, and all the invited guests arrive and take their seats at the dinner table.
An awkward silence during dinner with the preacher
Everyone is excited, și există o ambianță bună. You begin to serve the first course. After you’re done, you sit down and prepare for prayer. But then something awkward happens. The preacher starts eating.
You are surprised by his behaviour and at the same time a bit confused. You look at the others that are waiting with folded hands, ready to pray. They all look at the preacher that is enjoying his food.
Nu știi cum să faci față acestei situații, și e o liniște stânjenitoare.
Apoi, deodată, se ridică celebrul predicator, and says with a calm voice, „You are surprised that I don’t pray out loud, împreună cu tine as a mere formality. You don’t approve this behaviour. Dar să vorbim despre tine și despre acțiunile tale. Zâmbești și te comporți prietenos și evlavios în fața tuturor, și tu vorbești acele lucruri, pe care oamenii vor să le audă. But you didn’t talk and acted that way to your husband and children before we arrived. And as soon as everyone leaves, va apărea o cu totul altă persoană. You will speak evil behind their backs and gossip.
Acțiunile tale nu se potrivesc cu cuvintele pe care le rostești, și sfaturile pe care le dai altora. Spui un lucru, dar tu faci invers. You make a lot of promises, pe care nu le păstrezi; esti un mincinos.
Let’s not forget your tithing and offering, you only give your money to the church la receive more back. Trăiești după propria ta voință. And you only help people to be noticed. You put yourself on a pedestal and are selfish.
You criticize and judge others for the things you do in secret”.
Actori ai vieții
Pastorul încearcă să-l întrerupă pe faimosul predicator. But then the preacher confronts everyone at the table and says:
„You’re no better, tu esti la fel. You’re all actors of life; you act one way in front of people but as soon as they are gone you act another way. You all pretend to be so pious, while your heart and thinking don’t line up with your words. You all want others to see you and put you on a pedestal.
You’re all so fond and attached to your titles, positions, and your seats in front of the church, You judge and treat people, according to their appearance, or according to their wealth. You’re more focused on prosperity and wealth than the Kingdom of God, pentru că tu love money and therefore money has become the center of your life”.
A fellowship gathering in the church
Or imagine, you have a fellowship gathering in the church. You are having a good time with your fellow brothers and sisters. While you are eating and drinking, you are discussing daily matters and sharing all the ins and outs.
You’re having a good time, until this famous preacher comes in and says:
„You only focus on yourself. You make time to please yourself and to have a good time. You’re all so selfish. You don’t understand the Kingdom of God. How can you have a good time, în timp ce între timp, so many souls are lost?„
The famous preacher speaks hard words in the church
Then it’s time for the famous preacher to speak in the church. Many people have come to the church and are excited to hear the words of this famous preacher and see the signs and wonders.
But instead of preaching a motivational sermon, a confrontational sermon is preached, that a lot of people don’t like to hear.
The famous preacher tells them about his life, how he became born again by the power of the Holy Spirit.
He speaks about laying down his own life so that he could walk as o noua creatie; un fiu al lui Dumnezeu.
The famous preacher tells them that he is a son of God and the Holy Spirit dwells in him.
He continues and tells the congregation that it is impossible to keep walking in sin if you have become a new creation. Dacă umbli în păcat, esti un sclav al păcatului, and therefore a slave of the devil who sinned against God.
Most people are not amused. They don’t like hearing these unpleasant and hard words. They don’t like this preacher at all. The people like the signs and wonders, but they don’t like his words.
They find him pious, too religious, prea legalistă, demodat, etc.. Because isn’t it all grace?
The whole congregation is confronted with their lifestyle, which most of them don’t appreciate. Most believers are offended at his words. They stand up and leave the church.
Only a few people stay and listen to the words of this famous preacher. Instead of feeling offended, they feel sad and ashamed for their lifestyle. They are convicted of their sins and ask forgiveness and repent.
What shall the church do with this preacher?
Ce crezi, will this church invite this famous preacher again? Or will the church ask him to leave, as soon as he steps down from the pulpit, due to his hard words? Was this man indeed unloving, aspru, nepoliticos, merciless, și necruțător?
What do you think about this famous preacher after these incidents? Would you still admire him? Would you still see him the same way as you did before: as a man of God? Do you still want to fellowship with him, follow him, and listen to his messages?
A havoc in the church
Two weeks later, you open the local newspaper and read the following headline: Havoc in the church. You are curious and start reading: a well-known preacher has caused havoc in the bookstore of the church………
Could this famous preacher be Jesus?
This famous preacher could have been Jesus in our time. Acum câțiva ani, an article is written about Jesus Christ and Who Jesus really is.
Mulți predicatori au – and create(d) a wrong image of the true Jesus Christ.
They describe Jesus as some kind of ‘new age god’, who accepts everything and tolerates everything. Instead of describing Jesus as a loving but also a righteous, and holy God, Who hates sin and would never approve of sin.
Din cauza faptului, that most Christians don’t read and study the Bible themselves, the truth is lost in the multitude of the words of man.
din pacate, censorship is a common phenomenon in many churches. Many times a one-sided image is created that doesn’t correspond with the truth.
Acum, let’s have a look at the Scriptures in the Bible from which these examples are inspired.
A Pharisee invited Jesus for dinner
As He spake, a certain Pharisee besought him to dine with Him: and He went in, and sat down to meat. And when the Pharisee saw it, he marvelled that He had not first washed before dinner. And the Lord said unto him, Now do ye Pharisees make clean the outside of the cup and the platter; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also? But rather give alms of such things as ye have; și, Iată, all things are clean unto you.
Dar vai de tine, fariseii! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: acestea ar fi trebuit să le faceți, și să nu-l lase pe celălalt nefăcut. vai de tine, fariseii! for ye love the uppermost seats in the synagogues, and greetings in the markets. vai de tine, cărturari şi farisei, ipocritii! for ye are as graves which appear not, and the men that walk over them are not aware of them.
“You also insult us”
Then answered one of the lawyers, și I-a spus, Maestru, thus saying thou reproachest us also.
Și El a spus:, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! For ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. vai de tine! for ye build the sepulchres of the prophets, and your fathers killed them. Truly ye bear witness that ye allow the deeds of your fathers: for they indeed killed them, and ye build their sepulchres. Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute: That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation; From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.
vai de tine, avocati! For ye have taken away the key of knowledge: nu ați intrat în voi înșivă, iar pe cei ce intrau înăuntru i-aţi împiedicat. And as He said these things unto them, the scribes and the Pharisees began to urge Him vehemently, and to provoke Him to speak of many things: Laying wait for Him, and seeking to catch something out of His mouth, that they might accuse Him (Luke 11:37-53)
Many disciples left Jesus, due to His hard words
Isus le-a spus, cu adevărat, cu adevărat, vă spun eu, Dacă nu mâncați carnea Fiului omului, și bea sângele lui, nu ai viata in tine. Cine mănâncă trupul Meu, și bea sângele Meu, are viata vesnica; și îl voi învia în ziua de apoi. Căci carnea Mea este într-adevăr carne, și sângele Meu este într-adevăr băutură. Cel ce mănâncă trupul Meu, și bea sângele Meu, locuiește în Mine, iar eu în el. Precum M-a trimis Tatăl cel viu, iar eu trăiesc prin Tatăl: deci cel ce Mă mănâncă pe Mine, chiar şi el va trăi prin Mine. Aceasta este pâinea care a coborât din cer: nu cum au mâncat mana părinţii voştri, și sunt morți: he that eats of this bread shall live for ever.
These things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in Capernaum. Prin urmare, mulți dintre ucenicii Săi, când auziseră asta, spuse, Aceasta este o vorbă grea; cine o poate auzi? Când Isus a știut în Sine că ucenicii Săi au murmurat despre asta, El le-a spus, Asta te jignește? Ce și dacă veți vedea pe Fiul omului urcându-se acolo unde a fost înainte? Spiritul este cel care înviorează; carnea nu folosește nimic: cuvintele pe care vi le spun, sunt spirit, si ei sunt viata.
But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray Him.
Și El a spus:, Therefore said I unto you, that no man can come unto Me, except it were given unto him of My Father. From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him (Ioan 6:53-66)
The people didn’t believe the words of Jesus because they didn’t belong to His sheep
And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. Then came the Jews round about him, şi i-a spus, Cât timp ne faci să ne îndoim? If thou be the Christ, spune-ne clar. Isus le-a răspuns, Ţi-am spus, and you believed not: lucrările pe care le fac în numele Tatălui Meu, ei mărturisesc despre Mine.
But you believe not, because you are not of My sheep, cum v-am spus. Oile Mele aud glasul Meu, și le cunosc, iar ei Mă urmează: Și le dau viață veșnică; și nu vor pieri niciodată, nici nimeni nu le va smulge din mâna Mea. Tatăl meu, care le-a dat Mie, este mai mare decât toate; și nimeni nu le poate smulge din mâna Tatălui Meu. Eu și Tatăl Meu suntem Una.
Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Isus le-a răspuns, Many good works have I shewed you from My Father; for which of those works do ye stone me (Ioan 10:23-32)
The cleansing of the Temple
And the Jews ‘Passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when He had made a scourge of small cords, He drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers’ bani, and overthrew the tables; And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not My Father’s house an house of merchandise. And His disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up (Ioan 2:13-17)
Jesus spoke righteous words coming from the Father
Jesus didn’t only speak friendly words and He didn’t approve of all lifestyles, including the sins of man. He spoke righteous words coming from the Father, that were often confrontational and hard to hear
Jesus didn’t walk by sight, but He walked and spoke about what was in the hearts of men.
Și Duhul Domnului se va odihni peste El, Duhul înțelepciunii și al înțelegerii, Duhul sfatului și al puterii, Duhul cunoașterii și al fricii de Domnul; Și Îl va face de grabnică înțelegere în frica Domnului: și El nu va judeca după vederea ochilor Săi, nici să nu mustre după ce au auzit urechile Lui: Dar El va judeca pe săraci cu dreptate, şi mustră cu dreptate pentru cei blânzi de pe pământ: și El va lovi pământul cu toiagul gurii Lui, and with the breath of His lips shall He slay the wicked (Isaia 11:2-4)
Jesus revealed sin
Jesus didn’t accept sin, but He revealed all the (ascuns) sins that were in the lives of people. He confronted them and commanded them to sin no more. De exemplu, when Jesus met a Samaritan woman at the well. Jesus confronted her with her way of living, and commanded her to sin no more.
The truth is often hard, and most people are not willing to hear the truth. This used to be the case, and this still is the case. Nothing has changed throughout the ages.
Dar dacă chiar vrei urmează-L pe Isus and live after the will of the Father, you must also accept these hard sayings of Jesus into your life and not reject them. When you reject these hard words, tu respinge-l pe Isus asemenea.
Only when you hear the complete truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God, you can renew our minds with the truth, adjust your life to the truth, și umblă în adevăr. When you apply the whole truth to your life, you shall walk in spiritual freedom, ca fii ai lui Dumnezeu (acest lucru se aplică atât bărbaților, cât și femeilor).
Isus a rostit cuvinte grele, not because He wanted to punish people or lay heavy laws upon the people. But He spoke these words of truth and of life so that the people could experience real spiritual freedom in Him; in His words.
The freedom of this world leads the people in spiritual bondage of the devil. Only the Truth, Iisus Hristos, opens your spiritual eyes so that you find out the truth and walk in it.
„Fii sarea pământului’
